MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- As the Western Hockey League season headed into its opening series of games this past weekend, many prognosticators and predictors took their shot at guessing how the season might play out.
One theme that quickly became common was the Regina Pats having another tough campaign, with the playoffs being hard to come by for a young and inexperienced squad.
That included the SportsCage.com WHL Power Rankings, which had the Pats ranked 11th in the Eastern Conference in the pre-season rankings and eighth overall after opening weekend.
The voice of the Saskatoon Blades and one of the most experienced WHL observers around was of a similar opinion during a recent chat on CKRM’s The SportsCage, with Les Lazaruk also ranking the Pats at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
While the news might not be as rosy as Pats fans would like, there is a light at the end of the tunnel: the team will gain experience this season, and the tough times aren’t going to last, especially if general manager Alan Millar has anything to say about it.
“They’re a little bit too young, and a lot of the guys they have returning just don’t have the ‘whatever it takes’, the little bit extra to put the team over the top just yet,” Lazaruk said in assessing the team’s chances during the 2024-25 campaign.
“But I’m trusting Alan Millar. If there’s one thing the Pats have going for them, it’s a GM in Alan Millar who is going to make the moves, and I think by Jan. 10 you’re probably going to see Tanner Howe move, and you’ll get some pieces, be they to help immediately, but certainly draft picks that will help out in the future.”
Millar is no stranger to building WHL teams. His work in Moose Jaw prior to joining Hockey Canada helped pave the way for the 2024 WHL Championship and he’s shown no fear when it comes to making major deals if he feels it’ll help the team.
Miller -- who joined the Pats in September of 2023 -- wasn’t around when many onlookers were clamouring for a blockbuster trade two seasons ago.
The theory being, if Regina could have traded Connor Bedard, the suite of draft picks and players could have fast-tracked their move up the standings.
Lazaruk pointed out a couple of factors that prevented that from happening, with one of the biggest ones being Bedard himself.
“You have a guy who wanted to be there, his parents wanted him to be there, you aren’t going to trade him because that would really upset the apple cart with that family,” Lazaruk said, referring to many reports that Bedard -- who had been in Regina since he was 15 in the COVID bubble and had formed many a friendship in the city -- had no interest in leaving the Pats even for a bona fide contender.
Then there’s the financial factor, with the team receiving a development fee from the Chicago Blackhawks when Bedard went first overall with a bullet.
“Don’t ever forget about that, there’s money involved in having the first overall NHL pick and the Pats weren’t going to pass that up,” Lazaruk explained. “So they couldn’t trade him, but if they did they could have really accelerated their rebuild. It’s been put back a couple of years because of that and they aren’t ready to be a great team just yet… they have their work cut out for them.”
That’s not to say Regina is destined for nothing but bad news this season. There is some burgeoning talent in their line-up, led by Pittsburgh Penguins second-rounder Howe.
The 18-year-old Prince Albert product was recently returned to the team from NHL camp and could have a shot at being one of many Saskatchewan players in the hunt for a spot on Team Canada for the World Juniors.
“He gets the look so long as he does all the extra things,” Lazaruk said. “He may not be the guy who has to score goals like he does for the Pats, he’s going to have to be a guy who checks, kills penalties, wins a face-off here and there, blocks shots, he’s going to have to do those kind of things to impress the Hockey Canada brass and be on the World Junior team.”
Howe is coming off a solid campaign as the Pats captain, having put up 28 goals and 77 points in 68 games last season. He’s long been on Hockey Canada’s radar, having playing in the World U18s the past two seasons.
Making the jump to the World Juniors is always another step, though, and like any player in consideration, finding a role you can fill can be paramount.
“You can be a star on your club team, but you have to find your niche,” Lazaruk said. “You’re not going to be the star scorer or big set-up guy, you may have to be that defensive type of forward who blocks shots and things like that to earn your spot on the national team.”
The SportsCage crew had plenty more to chat about with Les, including a look at Saskatoon's potential World Junior crew and a look at the upcoming Roughriders game, and you can check out the complete segment by clicking right here!
